Currently 4 active design grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in Canada. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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Four fellowships study vacancy as a cyclical condition: climate crisis, demolition and material cycles, vacancy planned through policy, and vacancy caused by pollution or extraction. ELIGIBILITY: practitioners with substantial experience (architects, planners, cultural producers, artists) or researchers with a doctorate. OFFER: CAD 5,000 per month, travel and visa support, a private office, access to the CCA Collection, seminars and a public work-in-progress presentation. Applicants must explain how their research helps specific actors (city governments, design practices, developers) act on vacancy. APPLY per the guidelines PDF on the call page; committee meets January 2027, results February 2027. DEADLINE: 30 November 2026.
Waterfront Toronto seeks a temporary floating public artwork for the Harbour Square Park Basin slip, installed in summer 2027 and seen from the boardwalk, observation pier, residential towers, ferries and water taxis. BUDGET: CAD 100,000 plus HST all-in, including artist fees, drawings, site visits, travel, insurance (CAD 2M liability, CAD 5M commercial), marine engineering, fabrication, anchoring, installation and removal; no further funds beyond that. SITE: water about 4 to 5 m deep with roughly 3 ft of soft muck on the lakebed; lighting should be low so as not to disturb residents at night. ELIGIBILITY: one-stage competition open to Canadian artists and artist teams with relevant experience; Ontario-based contractors required, local subcontractors encouraged; marine engineering must be stamped by an Ontario-licensed engineer. Because it is one stage, the concept must be fully developed at submission, with a budget breakdown and technical feasibility. DEADLINE: 3 December 2026, 5:00 pm ET. Addendum 1 was issued 6 November 2026.
Two artist residencies with Co-Designing a Smartwear Revolution, a University of Alberta research network of 100+ researchers in textile science, AI and robotics building smart garments with sensors and actuators. The in-person resident gets lab and studio access in Edmonton; the virtual resident works remotely. No nationality, age or geography limits; collectives and students welcome; applicants need experience in visual art, fashion or performance, with priority for lived or professional experience of disability, aging, caregiving or assistive technology. Work is shown at the SUPPORT 2028 festival. Expression of interest by 15 December 2026 via the Google Form or adwg@ualberta.ca; notification 15 January 2027.
Open call for new or existing artworks, performances and fashion collections on support, disability, smart textiles, technology, access and embodiment for the SUPPORT 2028 festival at University of Alberta venues including FAB Gallery, the Sound Studies Institute gallery and the Timms Centre. About five visual artists, three fashion designers and two performance groups will be selected. Expression of interest by 15 December 2026, full proposal by 15 February 2027, results 15 March 2027. Payment requires registering as a University of Alberta supplier (allow at least two months).